Shoe construction



NOV. 7, 1961 W, J, RlCHARDs 3,007,262

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 9, 1960 6 l zlllllllllllllllllllllnllllllllllllllmllm] m" 3 I lllln f Fl G l 5 J FIGA,3 Exam, gw/0W United States Patent 3,007,262 SHOE CONSTRUCTION WilliamJ. Richards, Nashville, Tenn., assignor to Geneseo, Inc., Nashville,Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Filed Mar. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 13,750 1Claim. (Cl. 36-51) This invention relates generally to shoes, and moreparticularly to shoes characterized by the absence of laces, buckles andthe like.

A popular style of dress shoe is made like a slipper but ofsturdier,.ner construction, so as to prment a neat appearance and permitit to be worn on the street. Such a shoe is formed with a large stifftongle, which is shaped to extend over the instep and help hold the shoeon the foot. Otherwise, the shoe is held on the foot by a good fit.

Although such shoes are generally satisfactory when new, during use, theupper tends to stretch out of shape, with the result that the upper maybow outwardly and open unsightly gaps along the sides of the foot, and aloose t ensues. It has been proposed that elastic material may beincorporated in the tongue, thereby to counteract any stretching of theupper, but this is not always a satisfactory solution. The elastictongue parts detract from the appearance, such an upper is difcult tomanufacture, and the elastic tongue is not too effective in preventinggaps from opening at the sides of the foot.

Accordingly, an object of this disclosure is to provide a laceless shoewhich is of neat appearance and which is better adapted to counteractthe stretching or stress to which the upper is subjected in the courseof wear. Among the several other objects of the invention may be notedthe provision of a shoe utilizing conventional upper materials andmanufacturing processes, but with an elastic part incorporated in amanner such as to enhance, rather than detract, from the appearance; theprovision of such a shoe wherein the elastic part is readily assembledon the other parts of the upper; the provision of a shoe wherein the-upper is maintained in snug tting engagement with the sides of thefoot; and the provision of a shoe which is comfortable to wear while newand after considerable use.

Although the invention will be described in detail with reference todrawings, briefly, it may be noted that the upper is formed with anelastic margin, about a half inch in width, running continuously aboutthe foot opening from one side of the tongue to the other side thereof.In fabricating the upper, preferably, a lrst piece or pieces forms thefront part of the upper, including toe, vamp and tongue. A second pieceor pieces forms the back including quarters and heel areas. The leatherparts of this second piece are cut lower than normal, and the elasticmarginal portion is secured to the upper edge thereof, before the backpart of the upper is assembled with the front part. Preferably, theelastic margin is formed as a strip with an inner elastic core, such asfabric, and an outer yieldable cover, such as corrugated rubber oryieldable leather-like material, the elastic strip being attached to theupper by means of a zig-zag stitch.

Otherwise, the shoe may be made as any other shoe, although it ispreferred that a shoe counter be used, and the shoe is shaped so thatthe elastic margin angles inwardly rather sharply. When the foot isinserted, the elastic margins yield outwardly but are in resilientsnugtting engagement with the sides of the foot. Where an inner linerfor the counter is used, it may extend upwardly to cover the elasticband, particularly at the heel seam.

Other features of the invention will be in part apparent from and inpart pointed out in the following detail de- 3,007,262 Patented Nov. 7,1961 scription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe embodying the invention; Y

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the shoe shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a detail view of the elastic margin, the view being partly insection and partly in perspective.

Referring to .the drawings, there is shown a mans shoe having an outsole1, heel 3 and upper generally designated 5. The shoe is of the slippertype, as distinguished from shoes with laces, buckles or the like, Assuch, the upper extends over the instep without a break, and thisportion is shaped so that while it yields sufficiently to permit thefoot to be inserted, it otherwise functions to hold the shoe on. Theshoe should further be distinguished from house slippers and similarloose fitting footwear-rather, the invention is directed to so-calleddress shoes, whose construction, fit and appearance should be comparableto that of other types of dress shoes, such as those with laces. 4Forexample, the upper may be lasted to an insole 7 (FIG. 3), as will beunderstood by those skilled in the art.

The upper is made from several pieces, there being a single frontportion 9 forming the toe, vamp and tongue 11. The tongue 11 is curved-in transverse section, as will be apparent from FIG. 2, and is ofsubstantial size, such being essential to the appearance and t of theshoe. The back part of the upper is then formed by leatherlike quarterparts 13 secured together at a heel seam 15 and to the front part alongcurved side seams 17 and 19.

A counter 20 is incorporated within a pocket formed by a heel liner 21(FIG. 2), which is secured by a line of stitching 22 to the heel part ofthe upper, thereby to provide rigidity at the heel.

As described above, the shoe is typical of a dress style of slipper. Thefoot opening is necessarily long and the f back part of the upper issomewhat lower than in laced shoes, so that the shoe can be readilyslipped over the foot. Heretofore, the entire back part of the upper hasbeen formed of the same material, usually leather, and the long uppermargin thereof (which defined the foot opening) has been a source ofweakness, both from the view point of tit and appearance. As the shoelooses its new stiffness, the parts of the upper along the sides of thefoot tend to bow outwardly, thereby loosening the fit and openingunsightly gaps between the sides of the foot and shoe.

This problem is herein overcome by providing an elastic margin 23extending from beneath the tongue on one side about both sides and backof the foot opening to the tongue on the other side of the shoe.Referring to FIG. 4, the elastic margin is formed as a separate stripwith an inner core 25 and an outer covering 29. The core part 25 is afabric woven with rubber threads 27 extending longitudinally of thestrip, thereby providing body and elasticity. The covering Z9 is a stripof corrugated rubber or other leather-like non-fabric material foldedover and glued to the fabric 25. The complete strip 23 is about as thickas the leather-like quarter part 13 and a half inch in width, and itissecured on the upper edge of quarter part 13 by zig-zag stitching 31. Ofcourse, the leather parts 13 are cut a half inch lower than usual so asto accommodate the strip 23. Finally, a thin elastic strip 33'preferably is secured over the seam 31 along the inner surface of theshoe by stitches 30 and 35.

In making up the shoe, the elastic margin 23 is assembled to the parts13, prior to attaching the counter liner 21, and before assembly withpart 9. The line of stitching 19 then serves to anchor the ends oftheband 23 to the tongue. The -upper is also shaped so that in the nishedshoe, the elastic margins at the sides incline in wardly and are spacedrather closely, relative to the width of the foot. When the foot isinserted, the elastic margins are pushed outwardly, but the resultantelongation assures that the margin will be in tension and press snuglyagalnst the sidesof the foot.

Accordingly, the shoe is designed to maintain a good fit and neatappearance under normal conditions of use. The upper is primarily formedof conventional non-elastic materials, for reasons of shape andappearance, while upper marginal parts of the sides and heel arerelatively elastic, -for tit. Changes in and modifications of theconstruction may be made, however, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

A shoe having quarters and a vamp including a tongue portion whosemargins extend upwardly and backwardly in cantilever relation to the topline of the quarters, the vamp and a substantial part of the quartersbeing formed of leather-like material, and a substantial part of saidquarters being formed of material which is substantially more elasticthan the remainder of said quarters, said elastic part of said quarterbeing a strip of substantially uniform width extending continuouslyentirely about and defining the top line of the quarters, and saidelastic part being secured at its ends to the upwardly and backwardlyextending margins of said tongue above the leather-like part of thequarters, thereby to provide a tiexible resilient top line about thefoot opening and a resiliently snug titting tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

